1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a data distribution unit for a vehicle entertainment system and, in particular, to a vehicle and distribution unit that provides a wireless connection to wireless enabled devices in a vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As society becomes more mobile and therefore spends a greater amount of time traveling and away from home, demand rises for electronic devices outside the home environment. For example, media units including video screens have been mounted in the headrests of vehicles, facilitating video entertainment on the road. These media units can play video and audio from different media sources located in different portions of the vehicle. Further, many electronic devices used outside the home environment have wireless capability, allowing a user to access the Internet if connected to a wireless network, such as, for example, a Wi-Fi™ network.
Conventional vehicle entertainment systems play the CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes brought into the vehicle by passengers. However, such systems are limited in their ability to provide a dynamic selection of media choices. Various media, including television, radio and media on the Internet, are available via wireless communications, such as cellular phone networks to cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Such media may also be transmitted via other wireless networks over different radio frequencies, including frequencies in the ultra high frequency (UHF) range.
A hotspot is a location where Internet access is available for wireless enabled devices via a wireless local area network. A router connected to a link to an Internet service provider is used to wirelessly distribute Internet protocol (IP) addresses to the wirelessly enabled devices. Hotspots are generally made available by retail or public establishments for their customers.
Therefore, a need exists for a data distribution unit for a vehicle entertainment system which can wirelessly receive media and distribute that media to users of the vehicle, as well as provide a wireless connection to wireless enabled devices in the vehicle.